Race 1001 was held in the streets of Baku, one of the better races for the last 2 years for all sorts of reasons. This years edition was anything but exciting to be honest and felt like the first edition, which was just as boring. The most exciting bit was the damage done to Russell's car in FP1, which led to the cancellation of the rest of that session. Still, there were some highs and lows to remember during this race.
Highs:
-Mercedes:
What is there to say about Mercedes? They try to convince us that they are the underdog, but after 4 1-2 finished, I'm quite convinced they are the fastest car as of right now. Ferrari should have won Bahrain, true, but they did not due to mistakes from one driver and mechanical failure for the other, but apart from that it's been easy-going for Mercedes.
-McLaren:
A very strong result for McLaren, a double points finish for the first time in almost a year, is a strong showing of what they are capable. I do sincerely hope they can keep up on this and work their way up back to the top. They should aim for being the best of the rest and build their way back to the top of the F1.
-Räikkönen:
Starting from pitlane and still manage to finish in the points. That's a performance to mention, that is for sure. Alfa Romeo seems to have made a strong car and in the hands of Kimi, they are able to grab points consistently. Let's hope they can develop like they did last year, so they can be the fourth fastest team within a few races. Kimi deserves that for sure and it would hopefully give Antonio some tools to show more of himself.
Lows:
-Williams:
Bad weekend for the Williams team, that is for sure. They were very unlucky with the manhole cover, which cost Russell both FP1 and FP2, but were also affected by Kubica's crash in Q1. For a team that are so tight on parts and aren't in the best financial position, this was the worst possible scenario to unfold.
-Haas:
It hasn't been the best of weekends for Haas. For the team that aims to be fourth fastest, they are disappointing a little bit during the first few races of the season and a P8 in the constructors championship is definitely not that they had aimed for.
-Leclerc:
Not his best weekend, to be fair. His crash in Q2 ruined his race and yet again Ferrari managed to ruin his strategy to help Vettel as much as possible. He did not deserve the Driver of the day title, which should have gone to Perez or Räikkönen.
-Renault / Daniel Ricciardo:
The biggest shock was Renault. They were really off the pace for the entire weekend and for Ricciardo, it ended with a bang, literally. That was a rookie mistake and it's a good thing they have punished him with a grid penalty for the next race. Hülkenberg
dinsdag 30 april 2019
dinsdag 16 april 2019
Chinese GP: Highs and lows
The Chinese Grand Prix wasn't very exciting. Anything but, really, with the only fact that it was the 1000th Grand Prix for the World Championship to be exciting. Still, there are a few highs and lows to be noted from the third race of the season.
Highs:
-Mercedes:
What a recovery from Mercedes. Ferrari seemed to be extremely quick on the Friday, but on the 2 days when it mattered, Mercedes led the way and Ferrari just seemed to have lost out again. Ferrari does not seem to have the pace in most cases and reliability-wise, there is something not going properly. Leclerc being hit by problems in Bahrain and Giovinazzi hit the same kind of problems in the qualifying for the Chinese GP.
-Gasly:
Yes, he may still have been far off the pace in comparison with Verstappen, but he did at least grab a couple of points for the team in P6 and scored the extra point for fastest lap, meaning those 3 points are now equally divided by the top 3 teams. I sincerely hope he can gain confidence with this result, as I do believe his lack of pace partially comes from the lack of confidence. He had 2 incidents during testing, which doesn't help in that concern, so let's hope he can get closer to Max the next few races and show his true potential. He has some great potential and he should be able to showcase it in the Red Bull.
-Räikkönen:
Another solid weekend from Kimi Räikkönen. He did not manage to qualify in the top 10, but on race pace, he did manage to score another few points and sits in P7 in the championship. There seems to be no wear on his skills, something I wasn't too sure about, but his performances during the first 3 races have been top class, especially noting that Giovinazzi has yet to score his first points.
-Albon:
A stupid mistake could have cost a lot for Albon, but a sensational drive on Sunday gave him P10 and 1 extra point. It was a strong race from Alexander, which is remarkable, as he should have been in Formula E by now, instead of driving for Toro Rosso. He is definitely one of the highlights of the season so far, with 2 point-scoring finishes so far. I do still expect him to have a little dorp in performance every now and then, but that is to be expected from a rookie.
Lows:
-Williams:
Nothing to say here, really, apart from again being over a second slower than any other car. Let's hope they can gain some time on the track soon, otherwise this really is a wasted season for the team and in that case, it may be rewarding to put their focus onto the next year and make sure they won't repeat the same mistakes they did this season. A second per lap is just a lit to make up and I'm not so sure they can, especially if others do improve as well.
-Haas:
How about Haas? It haas to be a disappointing weekend for Haas. They did qualify for Q3, but did not manage to put any lap time in due to all the cars being clustered in the final sector, also resulting in the Red Bulls not making their second run. It's easy to blame others, but in this case, I feel like both teams got it over themselves with extremely tight timing and perhaps a bit unlucky with cars ahead slowing down, but in the end, there is 12 minutes in the session to put in a time and even though the track is faster later on, I don't expect the track to be that much faster to stay in early on and hope you can put in 1 lap. But the biggest disappointment was the race, in which they really dropped down the order, out of the points, and so they left the Chinese GP without points in the bag.
-McLaren:
China was also a big let down for McLaren. No McLaren in Q3 for the first time this season and both Lando and Carlos involved in an incident with Daniil Kvyat, resulting in big time loss and a race to forget for the team. That was a shame, although I did not expect them to score any points this weekend after their disappointing qualifying.
-Ferrari's management:
How must Charles Leclerc feel after all that happened during the race? He was ordered to let Sebastian Vettel by, who wasn't that much faster, and having to stay out to slow down Valtteri Bottas for Vettel. I do understand it in a way, Vettel is the more experienced of the 2 drivers, but Charles has impressed a lot more throughout the first 3 events, whereas Vettel just hasn't. Lost his podium finish in Australia to Max Verstappen, did a lot of pain to his race in Bahrain by spinning and with that eventually damaging his front wing. The team order felt so awkward, as Charles told the team he was about to pull away. If Sebastian has a few more incidents early on in the season, I'd say it's wise to support Leclerc in a possible bid for the World Championship. Sebastian has shown last year he isn't capable of handling the pressure of a title bid, having quite a few incidents whereas I can't recall that many of Hamilton, if any.
Highs:
-Mercedes:
What a recovery from Mercedes. Ferrari seemed to be extremely quick on the Friday, but on the 2 days when it mattered, Mercedes led the way and Ferrari just seemed to have lost out again. Ferrari does not seem to have the pace in most cases and reliability-wise, there is something not going properly. Leclerc being hit by problems in Bahrain and Giovinazzi hit the same kind of problems in the qualifying for the Chinese GP.
-Gasly:
Yes, he may still have been far off the pace in comparison with Verstappen, but he did at least grab a couple of points for the team in P6 and scored the extra point for fastest lap, meaning those 3 points are now equally divided by the top 3 teams. I sincerely hope he can gain confidence with this result, as I do believe his lack of pace partially comes from the lack of confidence. He had 2 incidents during testing, which doesn't help in that concern, so let's hope he can get closer to Max the next few races and show his true potential. He has some great potential and he should be able to showcase it in the Red Bull.
-Räikkönen:
Another solid weekend from Kimi Räikkönen. He did not manage to qualify in the top 10, but on race pace, he did manage to score another few points and sits in P7 in the championship. There seems to be no wear on his skills, something I wasn't too sure about, but his performances during the first 3 races have been top class, especially noting that Giovinazzi has yet to score his first points.
-Albon:
A stupid mistake could have cost a lot for Albon, but a sensational drive on Sunday gave him P10 and 1 extra point. It was a strong race from Alexander, which is remarkable, as he should have been in Formula E by now, instead of driving for Toro Rosso. He is definitely one of the highlights of the season so far, with 2 point-scoring finishes so far. I do still expect him to have a little dorp in performance every now and then, but that is to be expected from a rookie.
Lows:
-Williams:
Nothing to say here, really, apart from again being over a second slower than any other car. Let's hope they can gain some time on the track soon, otherwise this really is a wasted season for the team and in that case, it may be rewarding to put their focus onto the next year and make sure they won't repeat the same mistakes they did this season. A second per lap is just a lit to make up and I'm not so sure they can, especially if others do improve as well.
-Haas:
How about Haas? It haas to be a disappointing weekend for Haas. They did qualify for Q3, but did not manage to put any lap time in due to all the cars being clustered in the final sector, also resulting in the Red Bulls not making their second run. It's easy to blame others, but in this case, I feel like both teams got it over themselves with extremely tight timing and perhaps a bit unlucky with cars ahead slowing down, but in the end, there is 12 minutes in the session to put in a time and even though the track is faster later on, I don't expect the track to be that much faster to stay in early on and hope you can put in 1 lap. But the biggest disappointment was the race, in which they really dropped down the order, out of the points, and so they left the Chinese GP without points in the bag.
-McLaren:
China was also a big let down for McLaren. No McLaren in Q3 for the first time this season and both Lando and Carlos involved in an incident with Daniil Kvyat, resulting in big time loss and a race to forget for the team. That was a shame, although I did not expect them to score any points this weekend after their disappointing qualifying.
-Ferrari's management:
How must Charles Leclerc feel after all that happened during the race? He was ordered to let Sebastian Vettel by, who wasn't that much faster, and having to stay out to slow down Valtteri Bottas for Vettel. I do understand it in a way, Vettel is the more experienced of the 2 drivers, but Charles has impressed a lot more throughout the first 3 events, whereas Vettel just hasn't. Lost his podium finish in Australia to Max Verstappen, did a lot of pain to his race in Bahrain by spinning and with that eventually damaging his front wing. The team order felt so awkward, as Charles told the team he was about to pull away. If Sebastian has a few more incidents early on in the season, I'd say it's wise to support Leclerc in a possible bid for the World Championship. Sebastian has shown last year he isn't capable of handling the pressure of a title bid, having quite a few incidents whereas I can't recall that many of Hamilton, if any.
donderdag 4 april 2019
Bahrain GP 2019 Driver Ratings
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
Lewis Hamilton: 8,5 Made the most out of the entire weekend. Did not have the pace in qualifying and was extremely lucky in the race, but you still need to be there to take advantage of the situation.
Valtteri Bottas: 7,5 A decent race from Valtteri, scoring his second podium finish of the year. He did not look as strong like he was in Melbourne, but consistency is what brings the results he wants and, most certainly, needs to retain his spot within the team.
Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow:
Sebastian Vettel: 4 The biggest loser of the weekend must be Sebastian. At first, being out qualified is a little bit painful, but to lose out in the race is just disappointing. He wasn't on the pace of teammate Leclerc and his spin doesn't make matters any better, to be fair. He lost the world championship last year mainly due to errors and he doesn't seem to have learned from those.
Charles Leclerc: 9 How heart-breaking was this race? Charles was by far the best driver today and he should've won the race. He started off slowly, but made up the lost terrain in just a matter of a few laps.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda:
Max Verstappen: 7,5 No podium finish for Max, which wasn't far away in the end, although that would not be a deserved podium finish at all. Both Ferrari's and Mercedes' cars were just too quick for him and to benefit from both Ferrari's would just be a little too much. Sebastian did it all to himself, but Charles deserved his podium finish more than Verstappen did. Still, he already has a better start of the season in comparison of last year, which shows he matured. And his incident with Sainz? I feel like they are both to blame in the end. Verstappen could have lifted a little more, although Sainz Jr. could have left more space for Max, as on the outside of that corner there is some extra room for Carlos to go for. Carlos his response on the radio said enough on their relationship.
Pierre Gasly: 6,5 Qualifying was a bit let down and his race was perhaps not great, but he managed to score his first points for the Red Bull team. He does need to improve in both qualifying and race, though he has expressed the fact the car doesn't suit his style right now, which could partially explain him struggling.
Renault F1 Team:
Nico Hulkenberg: 6,5 Not the best of races for the Renault team. Nico struggled in qualifying, but was on his way to secure some decent points for him and the team. We all know how that ended. And to be completely honest, I do feel like Red Bull did the right thing to change to Honda PU, whereas Renault-powered teams have already 3 retirements related to mechanical problems.
Daniel Ricciardo: 6,5 Daniel did well in qualifying, had a wrong strategy during the race, but the funniest part was him retiring within a few metres of teammate Hülkenberg. Nico and Daniel seem to perform on the same kind of level in racing, although that may be slightly early to tell.
Rich Energy Haas F1 Team:
Romain Grosjean: 4,5 Shame on Romain. First being penalized in the qualifying for blocking Norris and crashing with Stroll in the first lap of the race. These kind of performances is what makes me unsure about him, really, as it could cost the team lots of points (and perhaps even prize money) in the long run.
Kevin Magnussen: 5 Kevin's weekend wasn't much better. He qualified strongly, but dropped out of the top 10 throughout the race. Not sure if there was a problem whatsoever, but it was a disappointing weekend for the entire team.
Mclaren F1 Team:
Carlos Sainz Jr.: 6,5 A strong qualifying from Carlos, only to be compromised by damage sustained by his collision with Max during the early parts of the race. It's a shame, as the car seems to be stronger now. This year will be of great importance, as he will be the team leader with the responsibility to develop the car.
Lando Norris: 8 What to say about Lando? He just exceeds everything I expected him to do and seems to be the best-performing rookie as of right now: 2 times in Q3, combined with the points in Bahrain, make him easily the best rookie so far.
Racing Point F1:
Sergio Perez: 6,5 An ok race for Sergio, scoring his first point of the year. The team needs to pick up in terms of development, if they really want to be the fourth team again. Right now, both Renault and Haas seem to be quicker, as well as Räikkönen for Alfa Romeo.
Lance Stroll: 5,5 A disappointing race for Lance. Didn't qualify all to well and his race was ruined after a few corners. Well, good luck next time.
Alfa Romeo Racing:
Kimi Räikkönen: 7,5 Very good drive from Kimi. He seems more relaxed and performing right on the edge of what is possible, although it may be hard to judge as Antonio isn't anywhere is on his level.
Antonio Giovinazzi: 6 A decent weekend for Antonio. He did not score a point or anything like that, but he was relatively close to scoring his first point. Also, it may be harder to shine when your teammate is named Kimi Räikkönen, who is still one of the fastest drivers.
Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
Daniil Kvyat: 5,5 Not the best of races for Daniil, although that may also be just some bad luck. He had a moment with Antonio Giovinazzi, which has comprehended his race. He could have left some more space there, although I get why he would try it there.
Alexander Albon: 7 A good result for Alexander, scoring his first points in F1. He seemes to get the grip of the F1 car and he is impressing me with his performance in Bahrain. Yes, it's not the most difficult race, but he is the least experienced of all rookies, but shows strong pace and great consistency. I wasn't sure he deserved his seat, but right now, I must admit I'm wrong.
Williams Racing:
Robert Kubica: 6 No big errors from Robert, which is a improvement from Melbourne. But still, I am not sure he is worth his seat right now. I've seen some onboard footage from the Melbourne qualifying and the movement in the right arm is so limited, that with a bigger steering movement, especially for left-hand turns, he pushes his steering wheel up instead of keeping it in his hands. I was afraid for this problem and it seems to come true.
George Russell: 6 He beat Robert, that is all there can be said about George. It's just a shame he has nothing else to compete for, which is a shame for the F2 champion from last year.
Lewis Hamilton: 8,5 Made the most out of the entire weekend. Did not have the pace in qualifying and was extremely lucky in the race, but you still need to be there to take advantage of the situation.
Valtteri Bottas: 7,5 A decent race from Valtteri, scoring his second podium finish of the year. He did not look as strong like he was in Melbourne, but consistency is what brings the results he wants and, most certainly, needs to retain his spot within the team.
Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow:
Sebastian Vettel: 4 The biggest loser of the weekend must be Sebastian. At first, being out qualified is a little bit painful, but to lose out in the race is just disappointing. He wasn't on the pace of teammate Leclerc and his spin doesn't make matters any better, to be fair. He lost the world championship last year mainly due to errors and he doesn't seem to have learned from those.
Charles Leclerc: 9 How heart-breaking was this race? Charles was by far the best driver today and he should've won the race. He started off slowly, but made up the lost terrain in just a matter of a few laps.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda:
Max Verstappen: 7,5 No podium finish for Max, which wasn't far away in the end, although that would not be a deserved podium finish at all. Both Ferrari's and Mercedes' cars were just too quick for him and to benefit from both Ferrari's would just be a little too much. Sebastian did it all to himself, but Charles deserved his podium finish more than Verstappen did. Still, he already has a better start of the season in comparison of last year, which shows he matured. And his incident with Sainz? I feel like they are both to blame in the end. Verstappen could have lifted a little more, although Sainz Jr. could have left more space for Max, as on the outside of that corner there is some extra room for Carlos to go for. Carlos his response on the radio said enough on their relationship.
Pierre Gasly: 6,5 Qualifying was a bit let down and his race was perhaps not great, but he managed to score his first points for the Red Bull team. He does need to improve in both qualifying and race, though he has expressed the fact the car doesn't suit his style right now, which could partially explain him struggling.
Renault F1 Team:
Nico Hulkenberg: 6,5 Not the best of races for the Renault team. Nico struggled in qualifying, but was on his way to secure some decent points for him and the team. We all know how that ended. And to be completely honest, I do feel like Red Bull did the right thing to change to Honda PU, whereas Renault-powered teams have already 3 retirements related to mechanical problems.
Daniel Ricciardo: 6,5 Daniel did well in qualifying, had a wrong strategy during the race, but the funniest part was him retiring within a few metres of teammate Hülkenberg. Nico and Daniel seem to perform on the same kind of level in racing, although that may be slightly early to tell.
Rich Energy Haas F1 Team:
Romain Grosjean: 4,5 Shame on Romain. First being penalized in the qualifying for blocking Norris and crashing with Stroll in the first lap of the race. These kind of performances is what makes me unsure about him, really, as it could cost the team lots of points (and perhaps even prize money) in the long run.
Kevin Magnussen: 5 Kevin's weekend wasn't much better. He qualified strongly, but dropped out of the top 10 throughout the race. Not sure if there was a problem whatsoever, but it was a disappointing weekend for the entire team.
Mclaren F1 Team:
Carlos Sainz Jr.: 6,5 A strong qualifying from Carlos, only to be compromised by damage sustained by his collision with Max during the early parts of the race. It's a shame, as the car seems to be stronger now. This year will be of great importance, as he will be the team leader with the responsibility to develop the car.
Lando Norris: 8 What to say about Lando? He just exceeds everything I expected him to do and seems to be the best-performing rookie as of right now: 2 times in Q3, combined with the points in Bahrain, make him easily the best rookie so far.
Racing Point F1:
Sergio Perez: 6,5 An ok race for Sergio, scoring his first point of the year. The team needs to pick up in terms of development, if they really want to be the fourth team again. Right now, both Renault and Haas seem to be quicker, as well as Räikkönen for Alfa Romeo.
Lance Stroll: 5,5 A disappointing race for Lance. Didn't qualify all to well and his race was ruined after a few corners. Well, good luck next time.
Alfa Romeo Racing:
Kimi Räikkönen: 7,5 Very good drive from Kimi. He seems more relaxed and performing right on the edge of what is possible, although it may be hard to judge as Antonio isn't anywhere is on his level.
Antonio Giovinazzi: 6 A decent weekend for Antonio. He did not score a point or anything like that, but he was relatively close to scoring his first point. Also, it may be harder to shine when your teammate is named Kimi Räikkönen, who is still one of the fastest drivers.
Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
Daniil Kvyat: 5,5 Not the best of races for Daniil, although that may also be just some bad luck. He had a moment with Antonio Giovinazzi, which has comprehended his race. He could have left some more space there, although I get why he would try it there.
Alexander Albon: 7 A good result for Alexander, scoring his first points in F1. He seemes to get the grip of the F1 car and he is impressing me with his performance in Bahrain. Yes, it's not the most difficult race, but he is the least experienced of all rookies, but shows strong pace and great consistency. I wasn't sure he deserved his seat, but right now, I must admit I'm wrong.
Williams Racing:
Robert Kubica: 6 No big errors from Robert, which is a improvement from Melbourne. But still, I am not sure he is worth his seat right now. I've seen some onboard footage from the Melbourne qualifying and the movement in the right arm is so limited, that with a bigger steering movement, especially for left-hand turns, he pushes his steering wheel up instead of keeping it in his hands. I was afraid for this problem and it seems to come true.
George Russell: 6 He beat Robert, that is all there can be said about George. It's just a shame he has nothing else to compete for, which is a shame for the F2 champion from last year.
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